Look ahead to housing at CSB for 2011-2012

Students are beginning to look ahead to their options for housing in the 2011-2012 academic year. As a residential campus, approximately 80 percent of our students choose to live on campus all four years. As part of our commitment to providing an engaging and developmental four-year residential experience, students who began college at CSB in the fall of 2010 will live on campus when they are also juniors and seniors. We look forward to the expansion of our upper class student community that is anticipated for the fall of 2012, when our current first-year students are juniors.

The Department of Residential Life provides the following information for consideration as your daughter reviews her housing options for the upcoming year.

Room selection process:

First, it is helpful to understand how room selection works for campus housing. Each student is assigned a selection number and selection time. The student and anyone with whom she is living will go to housing selection in March and choose housing at the best time for their living group (based upon their numbers).

Room selection numbers will be assigned to students randomly within their respective cohort groups. Cohort groups comprise the group of students who began college in the same year. Numbers will be assigned randomly within each cohort so that all rising seniors have an equal opportunity at senior housing. The same applies to juniors and sophomores respectively.

Details regarding room selection will be emailed to students in January and February, and will be available online during spring semester. However, please keep in mind there are deadlines within the process. All students (whether they will live on campus, off campus or be abroad) are asked to complete the CSB 2011 Campus Housing Survey by March 10. Students need to complete the survey to get a selection number. Late submissions will result in poor selection numbers.

April 14 - Room selection for any remaining rising seniors and juniors

April 19 - Room selection for rising sophomores

Benefits of living on campus:

As sophomores, students continue to live with their cohort in Lottie Hall, Margretta Hall and Brian Hall. Just as in the first-year area, these halls are all connected to one another and the cohort continues to live in community together. The sophomore buildings are traditional residence hall environments. The rooms do not have kitchens, so students continue to be on a traditional meal plan. The RAs on each floor focus on building community in the Benedictine tradition of community living. Students also benefit from the Sophomore Residential Experience, a series of programs, activities, events and opportunities meant to meet the needs of sophomores in their college journey. The sophomore year is often a time of discernment and meaning making, and the residence directors work with the RAs and residents to support students and provide resources to help guide them through their sophomore year.

It is important for juniors (and their families) to realize thatjunior and senior residents living in the campus apartments enjoy a few more privileges than students living in the residence halls. Having reached their junior and senior years at CSB and, given the greater independence of apartment style housing, residents are able to set their own visitation hours for their respective apartments. It is up to each apartment or house to decide on standards for hosting both male and female guests. This policy should not be misconstrued as an overnight policy for men. A responsible host will have spoken to all roommates prior to inviting any guest, and she will understand that she is responsible for her guests and their behavior. (This is a good discussion to have with roommates whether looking at living on campus or off campus).

As students move into their junior and senior years, they may find they only need housing for one semester due to studying abroad, graduation in December, and student teaching or internship locations more than 30 miles from campus. One of the benefits of living on campus is the ability to have only a semester contract for housing rather than a contract or lease for an entire academic year.

Going abroad in the fall? We will send out a questionnaire in the spring after study abroad acceptances have gone out asking students their preferences for spring of 2012. When your daughter returns in the spring of 2012 we will do our best to place her according to her request. If she is aware of a vacancy created by a friend leaving - she can request to switch into their spot.

Graduating, student teaching/interning more than 30 miles away from campus or going abroad in the spring of 2012? Students are able to cancel their housing contract mid-year without penalty (provided they do so in the correct timelines- by Nov. 1). If they have someone to take their spot in the spring - great! If not, we will place students returning from Fall Study Abroad programs or enrolling as new transfer/international students. No need to worry about sub-leasing or having to find a replacement.

Additionally, campus apartment housing includes many amenities. Campus housing includes rent plus all utilities (cable TV, internet, heat, water, electricity, as well as garbage/recycling). All of our student housing facilities are secured 24 hours per day. Campus security is available to respond to any safety or security concerns. Maintenance issues can be reported via an online work order system. Repairs are completed in a timely fashion and with no charge to the student in most cases. There are programs for residents for each building that are focused on building community in their "neighborhood." Additionally, programs are offered to help residents plan for the transition from campus to life beyond CSB and include topics such as negotiating benefits, business etiquette dinner, car care and budgeting.